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Tuesday, September 29, 2009 Language Sans BarriersMy friend and I are fond of word debates. I would create a word and she would challenge its existence.Once I said, "honeymooning" and she argued that there was no such word. For which, I responded, "If Shakespeare could coin new words that we apply in the English language today, so can I!" In return, she would jest that I'm not Shakespeare but Thachayini. (Well....one could never guess. "Thachayini" could become a household name someday. ;)) Often, I told her that it reminds me of a story that I never got to telling. An unforgettable story that has always been one of my favourites. It's titled Kavi Chakravarthi (Emperor of Poets), a story about a Tamil poet, Kambar who wrote Ramayana in Tamil. The accolades of a young poet, Kambar was widespread and it reached the ears of the King of Chola, who invited him to his court.  Ottraikoothar, an old poet and also the well-acclaimed Kavi Chakravarthy (Emperor of poets) was among the subjects in his court.The King of Chola, a poetry enthusiast, requested both poets to work on the Tamil version of Ramayana. Upon his request, both poets worked separately on their versions. Ottraikoothar, who initially welcomed Kambar became bitt  er towards the latter, due to differences in opinions.One day, the eager king suggested to them to read to him whatever they had written thus far. Kambar read his prologue first. He cited the scene in Ramayana where the monkeys were led by Lord Rama to build the bridge to Lanka to save his consort, Sita.  In his narration, Kambar described that drops of water splashed when the monkeys dropped the boulders into the deep sea. Instead of the usual "thuli" (drop of water), he had used "thumi" to describe the droplets. Ottraikoothar expressed his violent objection and informed the king that there was no such word as "thumi" in the Tamil language. However, Kambar maintained that "thumi" referred to a spray of water, which was smaller than a drop. The old poet was not convinced and he insisted that the young poet was pulling a fast one. The King of Chola intervened to mediate between the men. He suggested going into the town in disguise to find out whether common folks used the word.  As planned, the disguised men set out to the town. They came across a group of men who spent all day engaging in idle talk under a shelter. The three men joined them and enquired about the weather. The men lamented that it has been pretty bad for there has not been a drop (thuli) of rain for months. Ottraikoothar was smug for no one seemed to have used the word "thumi". The king and the poets persisted to several other streets, coming in contact with the common folks but none mentioned the word, "thumi". The old poet brought to the king's attention again that such a word does not exist and he requested that they return back to the kingdom. Kambar, who was silent all the while, suggested exploring one more street before returning. The king obliged. As they walked into the street, the men noticed a woman standing at the veranda of a house, pounding some mixture. She seemed to be the only one in view while they could hear the thundering footsteps of little children running about in the house. Just as the men were getting closer to the house, she turned to the entrance of the house and exclaimed, "Dear children, please do not come here for the spray of liquid (thumi) could get into your eyes." The men froze on their tracks.  The old poet saw red and stormed off. He returned home and tore up his work. Kambar made an attempt to stop him and questioned his behaviour. The old man exclaimed, "The one who appeared was none other than the Goddess Saraswathi (Goddess of Learning and Knowledge). And she would maintain whatever you say as Tamil. I have no place in here."As years got by, Kambar became the Kavi Chakravarthi. There are many aspects to this story but I would like to focus on the language debate. It is said that sankrit is the first language. Over years, many languages were born from this ancient language and have gone through a myriad of changes. It goes without saying that language has no limits and the changes are inevitable. Though purists find it a little hard to digest, the truth still remains that the English language will continue to change in years to come, especially, in this technological age, when new words are coined for convenience. It's a part of life that we need to accept and grow. The most important aspect of communication is to be understood and it is not always that it needs a language. Labels: To Think About Thachayini Coffee Talk at 12:31 AM
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 We Can Be Invincible In his book, Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl wrote about his days of incarceration in the concentration camps where starvation and humiliation became a way of life. The prisoners' daily diet was a bowl of weak soup. Even the smallest piece of bread or sausage that was no longer than an inch was great luxury. Chamber pots were used as crockery. Personal hygiene was the least of one's worries. Stripped of their possessions, the prisoners had nothing to call their own. Their education did not matter and their families were taken away from them. Many mulled over the misery and unfortunate fate, and eventually succumbed to the brutality. It is during these times, that a realization dawned upon Frankl. He knew that no matter what was taken away from him, no one could take away his freedom to choose. He had the freedom to choose his attitude towards his surroundings. Frankl found strength in his love for his wife. He focused and visualised on the good things in life, and his optimism kept him alive till the day he was freed. The brutal conditions that were inflicted upon him could not break his unfathomable spirit. Like Frankl and the others, mankind has been led into the "captivity" of evolution. Changes are inevitable. In this new age, Man has begun to play God. Scientific breakthroughs such has cross-breeding, gene transfers, cloning and stemcell research are making waves in the new world.  The introduction of Genetically Modified Food has spurred controversy. Debates continue among the concerned advocates who fear the impact these changes may have on health, the environment or even human existence. Amidst these, new found viruses have been razing societies and becoming worldwide pandemics. Much has been said and yet, the exploration continues. The more we fight it, the more energy and publicity we give to the cause. As a result, we become the latent propagators.Today, it's a wonder whether the food that we call "organic" is purely organic. With crossbreeding and changing conditions, we may have unwittingly become accustomed to the changes our food has gone through that we no longer remember what it used to be like. What are the reasons behind the experiments?
Whatever the outcome or effect, it is us civilians who bear the brunt. So what do we do? Should we run or protest? Neither is necessary. Change begins with us. We can't stop the world but we can build our will. The power of the human spirit is far greater than any force in the world. Even amidst the greatest catastrophe, we could come out unscathed. Let the world do what it wants to do. Let the viruses go on a rampage. It can't shake the human spirit. As Viktor Frankl says, "We have the freedom to choose." What choice have you made? To fight the little things, let them manifest and consume you? Or To choose your destiny, focus on a positive world and thus, build your resilience? Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit - Bern Williams Labels: To Think About Thachayini Coffee Talk at 7:51 PM
Thursday, July 2, 2009 The Need for Communication"Silence is Golden""Children should be seen, not heard" "Empty vessels make the most noise" We've heard them all. I grew up on these idioms. I believed in them so much that over time, I spoke less. The lesser I spoke, the more I held within myself. Is communication really such a bad thing? The recent events in my life have taught me that it is not. Communication is essential. It becomes detrimental only when we commit more than we should. Isn't it not for everything in this world? Anything that is indulged in excess becomes poison to the soul. Today's entry is not about moderation. It's about the importance of communication, even if it's for a few seconds. A few weeks back, I was going through a rough time. Circumstances led me to stand firm on what I believed in. My mother was unhappy with my indifference and she refused to speak to me. I have no other kin or kith. My friends had their own problems. I had no one to speak to. The pangs of loneliness I felt those two days were beyond words. To keep my sanity, I had to call two of my friends to just have a 5-minute casual conversation. I did not speak of my problems or my anguish but those 5 minutes were precious to me. They were suffice to keep my sanity. It was then I realised the importance of communication, even if it is gibberish. Do I have story for this setting? Yes, I do. :) And it's a true story. During the Vietnam War, many American soldiers were held captive by the enemies in prison cells. The soldiers were deliberately isolated from one another so that they could not communicate and plot an escape. Hence, each prisoner was confined to a lone cell. It was difficult to communicate with a fellow comrade in the next cell especially with the wardens watching over them like hawks. It became maddening and depressing for the soldiers who were unsure whether they would ever go back home.  One day, an American soldier came up with a brilliant idea. He created his own code language. With each tap on the wall, he communicated a letter of the alphabet. Each different alphabet was determined by different number of taps. The message got passed on from cell to cell and every prisoner learnt the code language. It became easier for them to communicate. Over time, they got so good at it, that they began communicating faster, as if they were talking to each other. The code language helped the prisoners-of-war find comfort and encouragement in each other's 'words'. They had found a way to keep their sanity in the most trying time of their life. Communication is not only the essence of being human, but also a vital property of life. - John A. Piece Labels: To Think About Thachayini Coffee Talk at 10:56 PM
Saturday, June 13, 2009 It Pays to ServeSingaporeans are ardent shoppers. They will locate any shopping outlet even if it is at the corner of the earth. It is a truth that I realised when I travelled to the States with my classmates.Singapore is a shoppers' paradise. Unfortunately, we don't have stores that boast the best service. It's a wonder whether the sales staff are even trained before they are appointed. Shopping in Singapore can be very claustrophic. As soon as you enter a store, you will either have a salesgirl staring at you or tailing you around. Many times, I have exited a store without browsing because I could sense a salesgirl watching me at arm's length. My friends have also complained about similar situations. It is understood that sales people have a duty to watch over the stores from shoplifters but I'm sure this could be done discretely. When I was in U.S, I recall receiving the same kind of service, no matter which store I walked into. The sales girl would greet,"Hello. How are you doing today?" and they would proceed to, "Let me know if you need anything." Then, they would continue with their work. (Another thing that I would like to point out. Our sales people are extremely free!) Now could this scenario be viewed as the salesgirl not doing her job and that she is going to let a shoplifter get away scot free? No, she is still keeping a watchful eye but in her own space. Trust me. These people know you. Once I walked into a store for the second time and the salesgirl went, "Oh! You're back again," and she smiled. You wouldn't want to mess with them. Another notable trait in our sales people is that, they have NO product knowledge. ZILCH! You could walk into a store and ask them about a product and the first reaction would be to look around to see if their colleague knew the answer to your question. How do you sell something when you don't even know what it is all about??? That's exactly what happened today when my classmates and I went to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve to find answers for a small segment of our assignment. We could not find information for one of the questions and my classmate approached the "ranger" at the information counter. She asked him if there were any invasive species that affect the forest. The guy shook his head. He did not know the answer. The next thing he said was that we need to register if we're exploring for a school project. My classmate enquired about the registration and he replied, "Through the Internet." So were we supposed to go back home, register through the Internet and return to the Reserve? Do these people realise what they're saying?? We told him that we were not on a school excursion. We were simply looking for answers for the questions that our lecturer gave us. Anyway, he was no help. Back in Oklahoma, our lecturer brought us on an excursion to the Wichita Mountains. Nick, the guide, also the ranger shared with us all that he knew about the mountains, including its history. Nick also helped us answer our quiz questions. I do not understand Singapore's priority when it comes to service. Especially, when tourism is so important to us. Forget that. Whatever happened to job commitment? It doesn't matter which job we do but shouldn't we make an effort to know what it is all about before we carry out a task? How do you sell or promote when you don't even know what your product is about? The sales people may not care for they are not the ones collecting the profit. But wouldn't it be nice to do a job well and not just for the incentives? This is something to think about. I have just the story for the situation..... Once upon a time a very strong woodcutter asked a timber merchant for a job, and he got it. The pay was really good and so were the working conditions. He would receive commission for each tree he brought down. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work.  The first day, the woodcutter brought down 18 trees. "Congratulations," the boss said. "Go on that way!" Very motivated for the boss’ words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only bring down 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he could only bring down 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing down less and less trees. "I must be losing my strength", the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on. "When was the last time you sharpened your axe?" the boss asked. "Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees..." That's how our sales people work. They have been busy watching over the bosses' property that they have forgotten to hone their skills and help their bosses double the sales. Never work just for money or for power. They won't save your soul or help you sleep at night. - Marian Wright Edelman Labels: To Think About |
